Quality improvement wins providers accolades from AHCA/NCAL

More than 7,400 long-term and post-acute care organizations nationwide have achieved one or more of the four relevant goals of the quality initiative of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), the organization has announced. The achievers include 7,436 skilled nursing care centers and 298 assisted living communities, 151 of which accomplished all four goals, according to AHCA/NCAL. The organizations will recognize all Quality Initiative Recognition Program achievers will be honored at its Quality Symposium Feb. 23 to 25 in Austin, Texas.

“The organizations…have demonstrated a deep commitment to improving the lives of the individuals they serve,” Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL, said in a statement. “We continue to see significant progress in achieving the quality initiative goals because of the hard work of our members. I applaud all of them.”

AHCA/NCAL’s Quality Initiative Recognition Program has four goals each for skilled nursing care centers and for assisted living communities.

AHCA goals for skilled nursing care members:

1. Safely reduce hospital readmissions within 30 days during a skilled nursing stay by 15 percent;
2. Increase staff stability by reducing nursing staff turnover by 15 percent;
3. Increase customer satisfaction by having 90 percent of residents and families willing to recommend their center to others; and
4. Safely reduce the off-label use of antipsychotics by 15 percent.

NCAL goals for assisted living members:

1. Safely reduce hospital readmissions by 15 percent;
2. Increase staff stability by maintaining nursing staff turnover below 30 percent;
3. Increase customer satisfaction to 90 percent; and
4. Safely reduce the off-label use of antipsychotics by 15 percent. 

AHCA/NCAL said it obtained readmissions and antipsychotic use data from outside sources, staff turnover data from national surveys and customer satisfaction data directly from members.

Achieving one of the four goals applicable to them were 3,871 members; two goals, 2,899 members; three goals, 809 members. Achieving all four applicable goals were 151 AHCA and four NCAL member organizations.

Alabama had two providers on the list; Arkansas, 1; California, 14; Colorado, 3; Connecticut, 5; Washington, DC, 1; Florida, 12; Georgia, 11; Iowa, 5, Idaho, 1; Indiana, 1; Kansas, 1; Kentucky, 4; Louisiana, 1; Massachusetts, 12; Maryland, 5; Maine, 3; Michigan, 7; Minnesota, 3; Missouri, 1; Mississippi, 4; North Carolina, 5; North Dakota, 1; Nebraska, 2; New Hampshire, 5; New Jersey, 7; New Mexico, 1; New York, 2; Ohio, 6; Oregon, 4; Rhode Island, 4; South Carolina, 2; South Dakota, 1; Tennessee, 4; Texas, 3; Vermont, 1; Washington, 4; Wisconsin, 4; West Virginia, 2.

A complete list with provider names and locations is available on the AHCA/NCAL website, which contains additional information about nursing centers and assisted living communities meeting three or four goals.